


Gentle Mother, Strength Of Women

by mihrsuri



Series: Tudor Alternative Universes [3]
Category: The Tudors (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Bisexuality, Family Feels, Fluff, Grandmothers, Kid Fic, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, OT3, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 09:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15289008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mihrsuri/pseuds/mihrsuri
Summary: Queen Elizabeth of York will always watch over her children and her grandchildren. Two pieces set in myRewrite The Stars AU versefeaturing her. One from her place in the afterlife and one in which she lived.





	1. Font Of Mercy (Save Our Sons)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Game of Thrones - though specifically from a song composed by Karliene Reynolds 'Sansa's Hymn'

Elizabeth watches over all her children who still live in the world but Henry, Henry is the one she is drawn back to because she worries about him - her son who suddenly became the king in waiting and not long after that lost her. 

She worries about Mary and Margaret as well, of course she does but Henry, Henry has a particular burden upon him that he had never expected and though he wears it well, it still wears. 

Watching him struggle with the weight of the crown makes her wish that she could be there, just to be his mother, to hold him and Mary and Margaret. To hold her grandchildren. She can see he adores little Mary. She hurts for him and for Katherine, for the way they are pulling apart from each other. 

Elizabeth is…she can see Henry’s desire for a son, the way the heartbreak of each lost child has gutted him and she can understand his elation when Fitzroy arrives in the world but oh, her heart and soul aches again for the Queen who has succeeded her, who is watching her husband celebrate what Katherine does not have. 

But she understands why Henry needs a legitimate son and why he needs an annulment. Elizabeth grew up amongst civil war, amongst the pain of sanctuary twice of over, of losing her father and her brothers and her family and she knows what the cost of a shaky throne is and would not wish to repeat it. 

Elizabeth knows what it is to be sent from a princess to a bastard and she does not want that for her granddaughter.

When the annulment is granted, finally, little Fitzroy has died, little Mary is technically legitimate but in practice there are questions around her status and Elizabeth is in two minds - she understands why her son has done this but her heart still breaks for all involved. 

Anne Boleyn returns from France and Elizabeth finds herself smiling as this young woman catches Henrys eye and brings Mary back to court and back to her mother. And then Elizabeth smiles when Thomas Cromwell gives Anne a book and stays to talk to her. But she aches as well, because how can it be possible - this unspoken tie between the two of them and her son. 

(Especially as Henry does not realise it, not now. He has had dalliances with men in his youth as well as women but he has not noticed how he feels about Thomas Cromwell). 

Elizabeth watches Anne become Queen Anne and wishes, oh she wishes that she could be there to welcome Anne to the family and to the royal world that she has entered. (Anne’s own mother stands beside her and the two Elizabeth’s pray for their children). 

It is delightful to watch, to see her son so happy and her daughter in law so delighted. When little Princess Elizabeth is born there is another happiness - but, there is still the unspoken moments between Anne, Thomas and Henry. Elizabeth watches Thomas hide away his heart, watches Anne bury her own and Henry leave his unexamined. 

In 1534 Elizabeth is…she understands Elizabeth Boleyns anger at Henry. How can she not when she had raged at Charles Brandon and how he had treated her Mary but Elizabeth? Elizabeth also hurts for Henry who is better than he is behaving but she can see her son is so terrified of loss, of failing (as a king, as a man, as a leader of his country) that he is pushing away what he loves most in the world. 

She wants to hug him, to tell him she loves him more than anything else in the world. Not to condone his actions but….Henry (& all her still living children) should have had his mother there to hold him for so many more years and it breaks her heart to see it. 

And then, then there was the joust and Elizabeth smiles through her tears as her son and his loves come together. 

-

Henry is the only one awake in the pile of Thomas, Anne and their sleepy children all eight of whom had run in excitedly (even Elizabeth who largely thought herself too old for such dashing about) - with Edmund and Philippa walking in on unsteady toddler feet - with their hands being held by their older siblings. He had never thought to have such blessings - a large and loving family, a peaceful realm and a secure foundation. 

And Anne and Tom, his dark haired loves have given it to him. “It is truly a marvellous thing” King Henry murmurs, before he falls back into sleep for a time. And if in that moment between sleeping and waking he feels the soft brush of his mothers lips upon his forehead, the scent of her perfume and an overwhelming feeling of love, well, he does not remember it when he awakens but the peace? The peace stays with him.


	2. Let Them Know A Better Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth of York loves all her grandchildren fiercely and utterly but she has a special bond with the youngest.

Of all her grandchildren Philippa has been called the most like her - not physically, no. Physically she’s all her mother and papa - black curly hair and eyes, olive skin, not greatly tall and a slim frame from the start while her twin Edmund is tall and stocky and fair. But in terms of her manner? “She is so very like you mother” Henry had said. For Elizabeth though? Her granddaughters sweet gentleness reminds her of the stories she herself had been told of Queen Philippa.

Little Pippa is her shadow though.

-

When she finds the little princess crying and asks her what is wrong it takes some time to tease the problem of her.

“They said, they said Papa mustn’t love me because I don’t look like him” Pippa sobs as Elizabeth holds her tiny body and strokes her hair. The dowager queen might be a kind hearted woman but at this moment she wishes she had those gossiping maids in her hands but she pushes her anger down firmly - she certainly doesn’t want her granddaughter to see it because Pippa will think it is her fault.

“Oh my little princess, no sweetling. Those ladies are wrong and they are very silly. Your mama and both your papas and I love you so so much and…”

“But I’m not really your granddaughter. That’s what Lady Jane said. She said I’m a….bastard who should be sent away and papa can’t love me.” 

Elizabeth is really going to strangle the woman. With her bare hands. She just holds her little Pippa tighter.

“Pippa, you are my littlest princess and the Lady Jane is very very wrong. You are my granddaughter in every way. Did you know that your Mama has shared blood with my family?” Pippa looked up curiously “Really, truly?” “Yes, truly. So you see you are my granddaughter in every way” 

Elizabeth could have left the rest alone but she knew she needed to talk about it, to not let it fester.

“And as for your Papa not loving you? Did you know little one that when you and your brother were born your Papa wouldn’t let go of you for anything?”

“Really grandmama?” 

“Really truly” Elizabeth says solemnly “we all teased him that we’d have to prise you out of his arms when he wasn’t looking” and she is rewarded with a small giggle. 

“And you know your Papa loves your Mama and Papa Thomas don’t you?” Pippa nods firmly. If there is one thing she knows it is that her parents love each other deeply. “And you know they are married but we can’t tell people about it” the little girl nodded again “It’s a secret, I know” 

“Well little princess that means you have married parents and you are not a bastard but even if you were, it wouldn’t mean your papa wouldn’t love you.”

Pippa nods uncertainly and Elizabeth gives her another hug and resolves to have a talk with Henry about things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that historically it is incredibly Not Likely that there would be acceptance of this kind - especially of the idea of a queer poly marriage but this is Me Having A Hand Wave Because Fluff And The Author Being Self Indulgent (I do have reasoning in my head - basically the fact that everyone is genuinely happy and thriving has made the people who know think 'well, the lord works in mysterious ways' but it's still hand wavey). I apologise in advance!


End file.
